Only five years ago, the Toyota Production System—and the company that spawned it—were the envy of the manufacturing world. Then Toyota buckled, and “TPS” became yesterday’s glory. But now a humbled and wiser Toyota is launching a new, global, “modular” manufacturing system that is meant to re-establish its former pre-eminence in making automobiles. There are lessons other CEOs can learn from Toyota's rise back up from the manufacturing ashes.

With the U.S. economic recovery in full swing, governors are going head to head to land the next big manufacturing operation and bring thousands of new jobs to their state. A half dozen or so, including Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, Washington, and of course, Nevada and Texas—already have major wins to report—but with the ink dry, governors have been quick to look toward their next big win, from companies such as Volvo, which is currently in the market for a state in which to hang its manufacturing hat.

Not all innovations these days are coming out of Silicon Valley or deal only with bits and bytes. Advancements in manufacturing of all sorts are keeping America at the cutting edge of global industrial leadership and are enabling a broad, long-term resurgence in the U.S. economy.

Dozens of Fortune 500 companies today—ranging from Ford to Google to Nike to Tesco—have been breaking down stereotypical walls and avidly seeking ties with startups and entrepreneurs. In doing so, they are unlocking secrets from their smaller, nimbler counterparts that they can use to grow their businesses.

As the U.S. economy tacks toward growth, the ante is being upped for talent. Middle-market CEOs and business owners must confront the needs, opportunities and challenges involved in hiring to secure the best talent now and in the future.

Companies have long been convinced of the ROI that can be generated by performing good will. From enhanced brand reputations and more-productive employees, case studies have shown increases to companies’ bottom lines that can be directly attributed to corporate social responsibility activities. In the first quarter of 2015, businesses' commitment to this strategy was evident.

With the economy recovering, governors are accelerating their efforts to make sure their states’ workforces are a match for the rising volume and complexity of employer demands. Here are some of their latest efforts.

What the public thinks of a company’s CEO drives much of what they think of the company itself and has a lot to do with determining the company’s market value. So for the sake of the enterprise they oversee, company chiefs should spend more time cultivating their own, personal “reputation premium.”

More governors than ever understand and embrace the idea that cutting and reforming taxes is the best way to improve the business climate, promote job creation, and ensure economic growth. So while politicians in Washington may not have gotten that message, about 20 Republican governors are moving forward with pro-growth tax-relief initiatives in 2015. That is on top of the 14 states whose 2014 tax cuts will take effect this year.